Pennsylvania attorney general –and nominee for governor– raises $20.5 million this election cycle


According to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has raised $20.5 million and spent $7.7 million between Jan. 1, 2021, and May 6, 2022. Shapiro, who is the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania governor, has received the most donations of any state-level candidate in the 2022 election cycle.

Shapiro is a member of the Democratic Party and assumed his current office in 2017. In Pennsylvania, the attorney general is an elected position. The primary job of a state attorney general is to serve as chief legal adviser to the agencies and legislative organs that make up his or her state’s government, in addition to the citizens residing within the state. 

Shapiro ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania governor. He will face Republican nominee Doug Mastriano in the general election on Nov. 7, 2022, to replace term-limited Gov. Tom Wolf (D).

Shapiro’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter (Y1-Y2)

Source: Transparency USA

Contributions to Shapiro

Of the $20.5 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 30.5 percent came from the top 10 donors.

Top Donors to Shapiro (1/1/2021 – 5/6/2022)

RankTotal AmountDonor NameDonor Type
1.$1,000,000.00Jennifer DudaINDIVIDUAL
2.$1,000,000.00Karla T JurvetsonINDIVIDUAL
3.$1,000,000.00William HarrisINDIVIDUAL
4.$750,000.00American Federation of State Council and Municipal Employees Afscme FederalENTITY
5.$500,000.00Greater Pennsylvania Regional Council of CarpentersENTITY
6.$500,000.00Thomas B HagenINDIVIDUAL
7.$400,100.00Austin Davis CampaignENTITY
8.$400,000.00Local 066 PAC ClubENTITY
9.$400,000.00Psea-Pace for State ElectionsENTITY
10.$305,000.00Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Pel PA & NjENTITY

Expenditures by Shapiro

Shapiro reported $7.7 million in expenditures, with 65.6 percent going to the 10 payees topping this list. 

Top Expenditures by Shapiro (1/1/2021 – 5/6/2022)

RankTotal AmountPayee NamePayee Type
1.$1,204,922.25Grassroots Media LLCENTITY
2.$708,142.42Ascend Digital Strategies LLCENTITY
3.$610,000.00Austin Davis CampaignENTITY
4.$566,500.00PA Democratic PartyENTITY
5.$543,297.11Payroll Data ProcessingENTITY
6.$466,164.22GPS ImpactENTITY
7.$427,777.44Rwt Production LLCENTITY
8.$212,975.00Global Strategy Group LLCENTITY
9.$178,999.31Actblue Technical ServicesENTITY
10.$165,000.00Spb Strategies LLCENTITY

How donations to Shapiro compare to the same office in other states

Contributions vary widely among officeholders in the same role. A number of factors, including whether the position is appointed or elected, can influence donor activity. Here is how Shapiro’s donations compare to the 10 other attorney generals with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:

Across the U.S., 27 attorney generals are members of the Republican Party and 23 are members of the Democratic Party. Voters elect the attorney general in 43 states, while they are chosen by a state government organ in the other seven. In 2022, 30 states are holding elections for the position.

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Pennsylvania PACs submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.

Report NameReport Due Date
2021 Annual (C7)1/31/2022
2022 Pre-Primary (C1)4/05/2022
2022 Pre-Primary (C2)5/9/2022
2022 Post-Primary (C3)6/20/2022
2022 Pre-General (C4)9/22/2022
2022 Pre-General (C5)10/31/2022
2022 Post-General (C6)12/12/2022
2022 Annual (C7)2/1/2023

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.